Refillable storage container

ABSTRACT

A refillable storage container such as for use with food products such as coffee, flour, sugar, spices, and the like, includes a container body, and upper and lower closure members. Access to the container contents is easily effected by removal of the upper closure member. To replenish the contents, the container can be inverted, with the upper closure member in place, and the lower closure member removed to permit new contents to be added to the container. The container is thereafter returned to its upright orientation, with older contents thus positioned toward the upper part of the container for use before the fresher contents are used from the lower part of the container.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of Provisional Ser. No. 62/657,149,filed Apr. 13, 2018, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to storage containers such as for use withfood products such as coffee, flour, sugar. spices and the like, andmore particularly to a refillable storage container which includesremovable upper and lower closure members, whereby the contents of thecontainer can be accessed by removal of the upper closure member, andthe contents replenished by inverting the storage container and removingthe lower closure member to refill the contents of the container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of storage containers for food products and the like is commonin both the home and in commercial establishments. Matching cannistersets are typically used in the home for convenient storage and use ofparticulate or powdered staples such as flour and sugar, withsmaller-sized containers are frequently used for storage and convenientaccess of spices or other food additives.

In a commercial setting, storage containers may be used to store coffee,tea, or other beverage ingredients. Toppings for ice cream, such asnuts, granola, sprinkles, etc., may be stored in containers of thistype.

A typical storage container includes a removable closure member whichpermits access to the contents of the container. To replenish thecontents, this same closure member is removed to gain access to theinterior of the container for refilling.

As be appreciated, this typical arrangement can create issues withmaintaining the contents of the container in a fresh condition, sinceduring refilling, fresh contents are usually placed upon and commingledwith the existing contents in the container. Contents at the very bottomof the container may not be used in a timely manner, as fresh contentsare placed upon the contents at the bottom during typical refilling.

The present invention is directed to a refillable storage containerwhich is configured to optimize the freshness of its contents bypermitting fresh contents to be placed generally at the bottom of thecontainer. The arrangement desirably ensures use of the contents beforethere is degradation in the freshness, potency or quality, andeliminates waste associated with contents which are no longer fresh.Ease in refilling the container is facilitated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A refillable storage container embodying the present invention includesa container body, and upper and lower closure members. Access to thecontainer contents is easily effected by removal of the upper closuremember. To replenish the contents, the container can be inverted, withthe upper closure member in place, and the lower closure member removedto permit new contents to be added to the container. The container isthereafter returned to its upright orientation, with older contents thuspositioned toward the upper part of the container for use before thefresher contents are used from the lower part of the container.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the present refillablestorage container comprises a container body, including a containersidewall defining upper and lower openings. The container furtherincludes an upper closure member releasably secured to the upper openingfor selectively accessing the contents of said storage container.

In accordance with the present invention, the container further includesa lower closure member releasably secured to the lower opening. By thisarrangement, the lower closure member is removable when the storagecontainer is in an inverted orientation, with the upper closure membersecured to the container body, to thereby facilitate refilling of thecontents of the storage container through the lower opening. Thereafter,the lower closure member can be secured to the container body to closethe lower opening, and the container returned to its normal, uprightorientation. By this action, the newly introduced contents arepositioned toward the bottom of the container, generally beneath anycontents previously in the container.

When next used by access through the upper opening, the previouscontents will be used before the contents added via the bottom opening,thus promoting and maximizing the freshness of all the contents usedfrom the container.

In a preferred embodiment, the upper closure member of the container iscomplementary with the lower closure member. This arrangementfacilitates stacking of plural ones of the storage container, such asfor use a kitchen storage cannisters or spice storage.

In the illustrated embodiment, the container sidewall has a generallyrectangular cross-section. However, it will be appreciated that thecontainer can be otherwise configured, such as including a sidewallhaving a circular cross-section, or other configuration. While the upperand lower closure members are illustrated as similarly sized, thesemembers, and the openings within which they are fitted, can bedifferently sized as desired.

In order to maintain the freshness of the contents of the container, thecontainer can include upper and lower gasket members respectively fittedbetween the upper and lower closure members, and the upper and loweropenings, for sealing the interior of the storage container.

A refillable storage container embodying the present invention can beformed from a variety of materials, including extruded aluminum, orother metallic materials, or polymeric materials. The upper and lowergasket members can be formed from suitable elastomeric materials forflexibility and sealing. Other materials, including wood or glass, mayalso be used, depending upon the intended use and desired aestheticproperties.

Other features and advantages will become readily apparent from thefollowing detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and theappended claims.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from a review of the entire specification, including theappended claims and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refillable storage container embodyingthe principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a plurality of the present storagecontainer arranged in a stacked, inter-engaged configuration;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the present refillable storagecontainer; and

FIGS. 4(a) to 4(f) are a series of diagrammatic views illustratingrefilling and use of the present storage container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

While the present invention is susceptible to embodiment in variousforms, there is shown in the drawing, and hereinafter will be described,a presently preferred embodiment, with the understanding that thepresent disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of theinvention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specificembodiment disclosed herein.

The present invention contemplates a refillable storage container,designated 10, which facilitates refilling of the contents of thecontainer in a fashion which acts to maintain the freshness of thecontents. The is achieved by configuring the container for refillingwhen the container is in a generally inverted orientation, via anopening provided at the lower portion of the container. After filling,the container can be reinverted, to a generally upright orientation, andcontents accessed by opening of opening at the top of the container. Bythis arrangement, contents which have been previously placed in thecontainer are accessible for consumption and use before those contentswhich have been subsequently placed in the container.

A refillable storage container embodying the present invention includesa container body, and upper and lower closure members. Access to thecontainer contents is easily effected by removal of the upper closuremember. To replenish the contents, the container can be inverted withthe upper closure member in place, and the lower closure member removedto permit new contents to be added to the container. The container isthereafter returned to its upright orientation, with older contents thuspositioned toward the upper part of the container for use before thefresher contents are used from the lower part of the container.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the present refillablestorage container 10 comprises a container body 12, including acontainer sidewall defining upper and lower openings 13, 13′. Thecontainer 10 further include an upper closure member 14 releasablysecured to the upper opening 13 for selectively accessing the contentsof said storage container 10.

In accordance with the present invention, the container 10 furtherincludes a lower closure member 16 releasably secured to the loweropening 13′. By this arrangement, the lower closure member 16 isaccessible and removable when the storage container 10 is in an invertedorientation, with the upper closure member 14 secured to the containerbody, to thereby facilitate refilling of the contents of the storagecontainer 10 through the lower opening. Thereafter, the lower closuremember 16 can be secured to the container body to close the loweropening 13′, and the container 10 returned to its normal, uprightorientation. By this action, the newly introduced contents arepositioned toward the bottom of the container, generally beneath anycontents previously in the container.

When next used by access through the upper opening 13, the previouscontents will be used before the contents added via the bottom opening13′, thus promoting and maximizing the freshness of all the contentsused from the container.

In a preferred embodiment, the upper closure member 14 of the containeris complementary with the lower closure member 16. To this end, as shownin FIG. 3, in the illustrated embodiment the upper closure member 14includes an upstanding projection 18, while the lower closure member 16refines a recess 20 which is generally complementary to the projection18. As will be appreciated, the specific arrangement of the projectionand recess can be reversed, and other interlocking arrangementsalternatively provided. This complementary arrangement facilitatesstacking of plural ones of the storage container, such as for use askitchen storage cannisters or for spice storage, with the projection 18of a lower container fitting into the recess 20 of an upper container.Such an arrangement of stacked containers is illustrated in FIG. 2.

In the illustrated embodiment, the container sidewall has a generallyrectangular cross-section. However, it will be appreciated that thecontainer can be otherwise configured, such as including a sidewallhaving a circular cross-section, or other configuration. Additionally,while the upper and lower openings 13, 13′ can be of the same size, forsome applications it can be desirable to provide one of the openingswith a size that is larger than the other opening.

In order to maintain the freshness of the contents of the container, thepresent container 10 can include upper and lower gasket members 22, 24respectively fitted between the upper and lower closure members 14, 16,and the upper and lower openings 13, 13′, for sealing the interior ofthe storage container 10.

A refillable storage container embodying the present invention can beformed from a variety of materials, including extruded aluminum, orother metallic materials, or polymeric materials. The upper and lowergasket members can be formed from suitable elastomeric materials forflexibility and sealing. Other materials, including wood or glass, mayalso be used, depending upon the intended use and desired aestheticproperties.

A method of filling a storage container in accordance with the presentinvention will be readily appreciated, and is diagrammaticallyillustrated in FIGS. 4(a) to 4(f).

The method comprises the steps of providing a refillable storagecontainer 10 comprising a container body 12, including a containersidewall defining upper and lower openings 13, 13′, The containerfurther includes an upper closure member 14 releasably secured to theupper opening 13 for selectively accessing the contents of storagecontainer, and a lower closure member 16 releasably secured to the loweropening 13′.

As shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), the present method next includesinverting the storage container 10 from an upright orientation, whereinthe upper closure member 14 is accessible (FIG. 4(a)), to an invertedorientation, wherein the lower closure member 16 is accessible (FIG.4(b)).

As shown in FIG. 4(c), the present method next includes removing thelower closure member 16 from the lower opening 13′. Next, as shown inFIG. 4(d), a product is placed in the container body 12 through thelower opening 13′. As shown in FIG. 4 (e), the lower closure 16 isreplaced in the lower opening 13′, and then, as shown in FIG. 4 (f), thestorage container 10 is re-inverted from the inverted orientation to theupright orientation. Thereafter, product within the storage containercan be accessed by removal of upper closure member 14.

While use of the present storage container for particulate, powdered,and otherwise generally flowable dry products is contemplated, a storagecontainer embodying the principles of the present invention can be usedfor semi-solid or semi-liquid products, such as ice cream. For such use,it is contemplated that fresh product be introduced into the containervia the bottom opening in the container body, again with the goal thatafter returning the container to its upright orientation, older productis first removed from the container before the newly-introduced product.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous modification andvariations can be effected without departing from the true spirit andscope of the present invention. It is to be understood that nolimitation with respect to the specific embodiment is intended or shouldbe inferred. The disclosure is intended to cover, by the appendedclaims, all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.

1. A refillable storage container, comprising: a container bodyincluding a container sidewall defining upper and lower openings; anupper closure member releasably secured to said upper opening forselectively accessing the contents of said storage container; and alower closure member releasably secured to said lower opening, saidlower closure member being removable when said storage container is inan inverted orientation, to thereby facilitate refilling of the contentsof the storage container through said lower opening.
 2. A refillablestorage container in accordance with claim 1, wherein said upper closuremember is complementary with said lower closure member to facilitatestacking of plural ones of said storage container.
 3. A refillablestorage container in accordance with claim 1, wherein said containersidewall has a generally rectangular cross-section.
 4. A refillablestorage container in accordance with claim 1, including upper and lowergasket members respectively fitted between said upper and lower closuremembers and said upper and lower openings for sealing the interior ofsaid storage container.
 5. A method of filling a storage container,comprising the steps of: providing a refillable storage containercomprising a container body including a container sidewall definingupper and lower openings, an upper closure member releasably secured tosaid upper opening for selectively accessing the contents of saidstorage container, and a lower closure member releasably secured to saidlower opening, inverting said storage container from an uprightorientation, wherein said upper closure member is accessible, to aninverted orientation, wherein said lower closure member is accessible;removing said lower closure member from said lower opening; placing aproduct in said container body through said lower opening; replacingsaid lower closure member in said lower opening; and re-inverting saidstorage container from said inverted orientation to said uprightorientation, so that product within said storage container can beaccessed by removal of said upper closure member.